A Little Dissent

The past two days, I've been called out twice by students.  We've started talking about the purpose of governments, different types of governments, etc...

I teach them that according to Jefferson, a good government is there to protect people and their rights.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. - That to secure these rights,, Governments are instituted among Men..."

I generally start off the discussion with some kind of bellwork question.  Sometimes it ends up dominating the lesson.  "Should students and teacher have the same authority?  Why or why not?  What do you think would happen?..."  or maybe "Explain the quote, 'Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.'"

Monday's was, "What is the purpose of government?  What does it do?  Do we (human beings/ Americans) need a government?  Why or why not?  What do you think would happen if we didn't have a government?"

We haven't really dug into governments yet, but we've touched upon the concept.  We've been keeping a "Threat List" this year of all the threats facing America.  So we talked about the purpose of government a bit there.  And studying ancient civilizations we looked at government, and law, and why we punish.  Government plays a key role in The Hunger Games - which we've been reading all year.  So a lot of students were regurgitating what they'd learned in some form.  This was nice, you know, because it showed me that they'd learned something.  But here was my favorite response to the question, which was definitely not a regurgitation: 

"The purpose of a government is to protect us.  Our government argues more than it does anything.  I think that we - the Americans - do not need a government because we are supposed to have freedom and all that stuff, but we don't get that.  If you speed, you have to pay the government.  And the government lies to us, and watches us, and spies on its own people.  I do not think the government is necessary.  I don't think it is necessary because they are a bunch of fools and phonies.  I don't think too much would happen if we didn't have a government.  For sure there would be less sexual allegations (against government officials).  I say this because the government is like a reality show - they talk a lot around cameras, but don't do anything behind closed doors."*

There's quite a bit of truth there - even though I wholeheartedly disagree with his conclusion.  There is a lot of posturing talk.  Oftentimes things (sometimes obvious things) don't get done.  Our government doesn't completely trust the people, and the people don't completely trust the government.  And our system is weird, because the people are the government.

And today, when I asked people to compare the ways that The Capitol (from The Hunger Games) takes rights away from its citizens, and ways that The United States secures the rights of it's citizens a student said, "this sounds a lot like propaganda."  And I was so glad to have that kid in class.  And sometimes I wonder, is it?   I spend a lot of time talking about the rights we have in our country - both guaranteed in the Bill of Rights, and others which we maybe take for granted:

Freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, movement, the right to own weapons... The freedom to complain and ask for things to get better without fear of retribution from our government.  Freedom from torture, or the threat of torture, or other cruel and unusual punishments.  The right to privacy, and freedom of thought...

But we haven't really discussed current situations where other governments protect their citizens and extend rights where ours don't.  Senator Sanders may bring up other countries offering Universal Health Care.  Colin Kaepernick might say police brutality and racial injustice is still a major issue in The United States.  Indiana Rep. Jim Lucas might be concerned that the right to own guns is being chipped away.

We often tiptoe around controversy until the controversy has passed.  We can look back (as we did today) at Fannie Lou Hamer and see the rights that were granted after they had been denied and talk about how great America is.  But Senator Sanders, Colin Kaepernick, and Rep. Lucas are all - from different sides of the aisle - telling us that there's always more work to be done.

My students are right to remind me about that as well.

*lightly and incompletely edited for spelling, grammar, and clarity.

Weather: At least this mess isn't political - which means...?

I'm pretty sure you're all well aware of the weather and the cancellations and delays, so I won't spend two paragraphs detailing all that.  Let's get right to the good stuff.

Governments.

Today, I gave a little government recap.  We spent so much time going over the various types of governments, I thought it'd be good to discuss what a government actually is.

So, I asked my students:  "What is the purpose of government?  What does it do?  Do we (human beings/ Americans) need a government?  Is it necessary?  Why or why not?  Explain your answer in roughly 5-10 sentences."

I also asked them about limited and unlimited governments, as well as the various types of governments we discussed at the end of last year.  But right now, I just want to focus on that first series of questions.

I came in early this morning, and thinking clarity is always a good idea, I decided to go old school and look up "government" in the dictionary.  (I already had my definition, but sometimes it's good to consult an outside source, you know?  In case I missed something.)

"Government:  n.  1.The administration of public policy in a political unit.  2.The office, function, or authority whereby political power is exercised.  3.  A prevailing political system or policy.  4.  A governing body."

So, already I'm a little annoyed that "A governing body" is one of the definitions for "government."  Apparently, nobody ever told The American Heritage Dictionary the rules for defining words.  And, even though I know what "political" means, I thought - well - why not just look that up for the sake of clarity as well.

"Political: adj.  1. Of or pertaining to government or politics.  2. Characteristic of political parties or politicians."

...Uggggg....

"Politics:  n. (takes sing. v.).  1.  The art or science of political government.  2.  The policies or affairs of a government.  3. a.  The conducting of or engaging in political affairs, often professionally.  b. The profession of a person so involved.  4. (takes pl. v.).  Political opinions or principles.

Seriously?  This is why people don't buy dictionaries any more.  I'd have been in big trouble if I didn't already know what political, politics, and government meant.  What a waste of time.

So, I went with my gut and had the students answer the question on their own, and then I gave them the purpose of government - according to me.

THE PURPOSE OF GOVERNMENT IS TO PROTECT IT'S CITIZENS.  

Ok... you caught me.  That's not my own.  I'm taking it from Thomas Jefferson, who was a pretty bright guy.  He put it in the Declaration of Independence - you know, the part between "We hold these truths to be self-evident" and "to effect their Safety and Happiness."

I could spend a lot of time typing up whether or not that's really the case - what about governments that only look out for themselves?  (I'd argue that they're "bad" governments...)  But I'm not going to deal with that.  Instead, I'll just ask you: how does our government protect and provide for its citizens?  Or at least, (if you're a Debby Downer) how does it try?

If you want the extra credit today, you should have read and discussed the blog with an adult.  If you did that, write down an answer or two from the paragraph directly above this one.  (You know, how does our government protect and provide...?)  You should be able to think up several examples, but if you're having a hard time with it just tell me that you're having a hard time with it...  But don't use that as a cop-out.  I mean, come on... you've come this far.

Once you wrote that down, have the adult you read the blog with sign the paper, and put it in the extra-credit tray tomorrow.

Oh yeah... you had homework.  Don't forget you can get it HERE. You may use your chart.

Government: Do We Need It?

So, I guess there's some controversy over what's being taught in social studies these days.

Like this: Colorado?

And because we don't want to be accused of being biased, this: Colorado.


We're lucky enough to be able to teach some controversial topics here in 7th grade social studies.  And today, we're getting to it: government.

Mr. Helmuth asked the kids a couple questions today:  What is the purpose of government?  What does it do?  Do we (human beings/ Americans) need a government?  Is it necessary?  Why or why not?

Overall, the student responses were great.  There was some discussion about what governments do, don't do, and should do.  Mr. Helmuth tried to let the students lead the discussion, asking them a follow-up question here or there whenever appropriate.

After that, we discussed some key concepts - limited government, unlimited government, and rule of law - and we went over 7 different types of government.

There was relatively no controversy in the lesson.  But I'd like to point out that this is one of the benefits of this blog.  You get to know what's going on in the classroom - a classroom that may at times discuss issues which you have strong feelings about.

Here's the chart we filled out today:

If you weren't here, copy it down.

If you were here and want credit for reading and discussing the blog, you should have read it and discussed it with an adult.  If you've done that, find a scrap of paper, write down what's meant by an "unlimited government."  Then, have the adult you read and discussed the blog with sign the paper.

Turn it in tomorrow in the "extra credit tray."  ...Make sure your name, date, and hour are on it as well.  ...Do I really have to still say that?

Government Pictures - Quiz Yourself

Do you have the power to do whatever you want in a limited government?  Do you have the power to do whatever you want in an unlimited government?

Students sometimes have a difficult time with pronouns - particularly the pronoun "you."  Students (and others when writing informally) use this word to indicate various pronouns...  For instance, you can mean me, or them.  So, students sometimes say - incorrectly - that in an unlimited government, you have unlimited power.

This is only true if the you in that statement refers to the government.

The citizens living in an unlimited government definitely do NOT have unlimited power.

In class, we also traded pictures.  We tried to figure out which government was being portrayed, quizzing each other.  Some were easy, some were not.  How well the students did depended both on how well the pictures were drawn - both artistically, and accurately - as well as whether or not the student looking at the picture new the answer.

Here are some examples, (Click the pictures to enlarge them):

The first quiz comes from Jana Fisher:

The second quiz comes from Eliut Ramirez:

If you want the extra credit, read and discuss the blog with an adult.  Then, take the two quizzes.  (You may use your chart.)  Discuss the pictures from one of the quizzes with an adult.  Explain to them why each picture is a good representation of that type of government.  Have the adult sign your paper.  Turn it in tomorrow.

Government Video Pop Quiz

I gave a pop quiz today.  It was pretty fetch.  I gave them a little time to complete their government pictures and then study for it.  Here's how it went - I showed them a short video clip, and they had to write down the name of the type of government I was showing.  I'll post them up here so you can see what I showed.  For the record, there was some feigned controversy over whether I was showing R-Rated movies in class.  I wasn't.  I did show previews for The Kings Speech as well as The Last King of Scotland, but the previews were NOT rated R.  (I haven't even seen The Last King of Scotland... but it looks good.)

When I post them here, I'll tell you the type of government.  Consider it my gift to you:

The King's Speech - Constitutional Monarchy:





Mean Girls - Oligarchy:







Napoleon Dynamite - Representative Democracy (Republic):









Alice in Wonderland - Absolute Monarchy:








Gilmore Girls - Direct Democracy:







The Last King of Scotland - Dictatorship:








The Prince of Egypt - Theocracy:






If you want some extra credit - yes, it will still go on the 2nd 9 weeks if I get it right after break...  Then, discuss these clips with an adult.  Tell them (and write down) why each one shows the type of government it does.  If you need a to use your government chart to help you, you may.  If you don't have one, don't forget you can find it on the blog.  Once you write them down, have your parent sign it.  Turn it in when you get back.

Have a great break.  Get some rest.  Read some books.  See you soon... but not too soon.

Government Pictures

Bellwork question: Which type of government typically has a higher standard of living for its citizens, a dictatorship, or a democracy?  Defend your answer.

As always, we had some great answers.  Some students misread the question and answered dictatorship, because the dictator has so much money.  Of course, I was asking about the citizens, so democracy was the correct answer.

A democracy cares about the people, because it's a government made up of people.  Because dictators often use fear to stay in power, they do not care about the people in the same way as a democracy.  So, the citizens in a democracy typically have a higher standard of living.

Students are working on government pictures.  If you need a copy of the paper, you can download it HERE.  (You may have to change it a little bit after downloading.  Mediafire sometimes messes with my documents.  Just delete the excess lines.  ...You'll see what I mean.)

Yes, they are homework.  Finish them if you didn't finish them in class.

If you want the extra credit today, read and discuss the blog with an adult.  Then, on a scrap piece of paper, draw a quick picture representing one of the government types.  (Don't spend much time on it...)  Show it to the adult you read the blog with and see if they can guess what type of government it is.  (They can use the chart, it's on yesterday's blog.)  Then, have them sign it.

Turn it in tomorrow.

Don't forget the homework.

...Also, don't forget the homework...

The Best?

Mr. Helmuth started out class with the question, "Is a Republic the best form of government?  Would another form be better?"

It definitely sparked some interesting discussions.  Of course, the students have to know some of the basic differences between a republic and other forms of government to be able to answer with any sense of authority.

He then let them start working on their government act-it-outs.  Students are put into groups, then they are each given a government type.  They are tasked with coming up with a skit which portrays the most significant aspects of the government they were given.

If you weren't in class today, you'll be put in a group tomorrow.  You'll have to jump in as best you can.

That's it for today's post.  If you want the extra credit, you were supposed to read and discuss it with an adult.  Maybe discuss the bellwork question.  Maybe tell which group you're in, and how you are going to portray your type of government.  When you've done that, find a scrap of paper and write the word "BAM!" on it.  That will prove that you were here.  Then, have the adult you discussed with sign the paper.  That will prove that they read/discussed the blog with you.  ...Well... I guess it just proves that they signed a piece of paper saying, "BAM!"  But I trust if you made it this far, you also read and discussed the blog.

Have a great evening.

Rule of Law

Maybe it's been said before, but no matter where you stand on the political spectrum, let us join together and give thanks that the yard signs will be gone, and the political commercials are over.  Now we can get back to being annoyed by that Geico pig.

The lesson today was on freedom of speech and rule of law.  We'll be introducing governments soon.  Indeed, I guess we already have...  We discussed the role of authority in our lives: to keep us safe and to get stuff done.

As a teacher, I have a responsibility to make sure my students are safe.  I also have a responsibility to teach.  As parents and care takers, we have a responsibility to keep our children safe, and provide for them.  The government has a responsibility to keep its citizens safe, and to maintain the infrastructure, and economy of the nation, etc...

Rule of law = everyone must follow the law, no matter who they are or what they do.

Limited Government = a government with limited power

Unlimited Government = a government with unlimited power

If you want extra credit for reading and discussing this blog, read it and discuss it with an adult.  Then write two sentences about our discussion of what would happen if students and teachers had the same level of authority.  Have the adult you discussed the blog with sign the paper.

Is the Capitol Actually North Korea?

First off all, I’d like to remind everyone that I post what we do every day.  Students can receive extra credit by reading the blog and discussing it with the adult they live with.  (Or in some cases some other adult.)  It’s five points a day… I think it’s worth it.

Please notice the polls at the top of the blog.  If you haven’t yet voted on them, do so now.  We’re going to discuss them in class tomorrow.  You will also have time to finish up your Hammurabi power point while we read The Hunger Games. 

We compared Islam and Judaism at the beginning of class, and then we spent the rest of the day in the book.

An excerpt from page 80:

“Electricity in District 12 comes and goes, usually we only have it a few hours a day.  Often the evenings are spent in candlelight.  The only time we can count on it is when they’re airing the Games or some important government message on television that it’s mandatory to watch.  But here there would be no shortage.  Ever.”

An excerpt from page 83-4:

“’I’d leave here,’ Peeta blurts out.  Then he looks around nervously.  It was loud enough to hear above the chimes.  He laughs.  ‘I’d go home now if they let me.  But you have to admit, the food’s prime.’
                He’s covered again.  If that’s all you heard it would just sound like the words of a scared tribute, not someone contemplating the unquestionable goodness of the Capitol.” (Emphasis mine.)

We’ve discussed standard-of-living multiple times because of this book, but here it comes up again.  This time, though, it’s a little bit different.  We see that the people in District 12 have a low standard of living because the money gets funneled into the government.  We also see examples of government propaganda.

One of the countries we study in this class is North Korea.  The Capitol and North Korea share some striking similarities: dictator, food shortages, and government sponsored propaganda.  In the first quote above Katniss mentions important government TV messages that are mandatory to watch.  North Korea has state sponsored radio in every house.  You can turn it down, but you can’t turn it off.  (I learned that from THIS MOVIE, by the way.  It’s pretty good.)

In the second quote, Peeta is scared to speak out against (or even appear to speak out against) the Capitol.  Kim Jong Il just died.  (If you haven’t seen this on the news, go ahead and check for yourself…)  Here’s aline from one of the CNN articles: “There will be the compulsory large crowds of mourners in the streets of Pyongyang to honor Kim Jong Il.” (article by Scott Snyder)  Of course there will be.  Will there be people who refuse to go?  Will there be North Koreans who “contemplate the unquestionable goodness of Our Dear Leader?”

So, today we hit standards 7.1.2 – dealing with theocracy  - Kim Jong Il is revered as a deity and his dead father Kim Il Sung even more so.  He actually maintained the role of President after his death… his position according to their constitution is “Eternal President of the Republic.”

7.1.18 – deals with recent political conflicts.  The state gives North and South Korea as an example.

7.2.2 – identify and compare contemporary governments in Japan, Korea, China, etc…

I’m hoping to discuss this more in depth tomorrow, but we’ll see.  We also have to discuss historical context, and Hammurabi…

In order to get the credit for the homework, vote on the polls at the top.  Then, read the blog and discuss it with an adult.  Discuss the following questions: what were the similarities between Islam and Judaism that I gave at the beginning of class today?  Will people attend Kim Jong Il’s funeral because they want to, or because they were coerced?  Will there be any exceptions?  Why?  What makes you think that?  What’s happening right now in The Hunger Games?

Like usual, it’s not enough to read and discuss the blog.  Write the following on a piece of scrap paper:  “I wish we could learn B about chess P during social studies.”  Have the adult you read this with sign the piece of paper.  Adults, by signing the paper you are signifying that you did indeed read the blog and discuss the questions with whoever is in my class.  Please don’t sign it unless this is true.

A Little Lesson in Acting

The students performed their government Act-it-Outs/ Skits/ Performances/ Whatever we're calling them now.  Yep.  That was today.  I could write about it, or I could give you a little taste of a couple of them.

If there was time at the end of the class, we took a vote (*ahem* much like a Direct Democracy *ahem*)  to see which type of government we would film.  Dictatorship won in most classes, but a couple others worked their way in as well.  A couple classes ran out of time.

I apologize that the audio isn't the best on a couple of these.  I hope you enjoy them anyway.

I've never uploaded videos before, so lets hope it worked.  Great job to all the groups - those that were shown, and those that weren't shown.  Most everyone did a fantastic job.  If you want extra credit today, watch a video from a class other than your own.  Try to figure out what type of government it is.  On a scrap piece of paper, write down what happened in the video you watched, what type of government you think it is, and why.

Turn it in on Monday.  See you then.

Government Picture Quizzes

We've been looking at the different types of government.  We filled out a chart with the types of governments we want the students to know.  Make sure you have a copy:

(That might actually be an older version, but the one we're using today will be very, very similar.)

Today students made quizzes for each other by drawing pictures of each government.

In order to get the extra credit, you need to take one of these quizzes.  Discuss the pictures with an adult.  Tell them why you think it's the type of government you think it is.  You may use the chart (above if you left yours at school) if you want.  I've posted 3 today.  You can choose which one you want to take.  You only have to take one, but I won't stop you from taking them all. Here they are:

Justice Scalia

With the passing of Justice Scalia, we've taken some time to go back and review governments - and particularly what makes the United States government a limited government.

Yesterday, we spent the entire time discussing the significance of Justice Scalia's passing; why it's a big deal.  We talked about how Supreme Court Justices are nominated and confirmed.  We talked about the split in the court, why democrats want President Obama to nominate, and why republicans want him to wait.

In this discussion, we framed it from the perspective of limited power.  We've got 3 branches of government.  Each of those branches limits the power of the other two.  If the chief executive (President Obama) had total power, he wouldn't be a president any more.  He would be a dictator.  If the members of the Supreme Court had total power, we would not be a democracy any more.  We would be an oligarchy.

Yesterday we watched 3 video clips.  Today we watched one more.  Here they are in their entirety.

In the CNN student news, we watched the portion dealing with the death of Justice Scalia.

Next, we watched President Obama's remarks on the passing of Scalia:

Finally, we watched a montage of some of the responses from others in leadership roles - and those hoping to attain those roles in the near future (we ended right before the former Speaker's response.)

As with everything in social studies, there's a lot to talk about here.  It was certainly worth taking a break in order to discuss it, and no doubt, we'll follow the story.  One of the main reasons we're talking about it in my class though, is to reinforce the idea of separation of power, and limited government.

Neither the President, nor the Supreme Court, nor Congress rule this country.  Law rules this country.  

Students may receive extra credit if they read and discuss this post with an adult.  If they've done that, they need to write 3 complete sentences about their discussion.  Have the adult they read the post with sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray. 

Authority/Power/Control

Bellwork question of the day:  "Should students have the same amount of authority as teachers?  Why or why not?  What would happen if students and teachers had the same amount of authority?  Answer in complete sentences."

So, we introduced the concept of government.  While they were working on the bellwork, I played a video from youtube:




The class was pretty well split, slightly favoring the teachers maintaining their authority.  (It's nice to know my job is safe.)  (...For now...)

The students don't know it yet, but I've introduced the political concept of rule of law, and limited and unlimited government.  We talked about the people who have the most power in our government - and whether or not that meant they got to do whatever they want...

But it was just an introduction.

We spent the rest of the time reviewing the ancient civilizations and filling in our Venn Diagrams.  (If you need one, click on the link - if you want to know what goes in them, check out yesterday's post.)

I also passed out the REVIEW GUIDE.  It'd probably be a good idea to study.  The test is a week away.

If you want extra credit for reading and discussing the blog with an adult, you've got to read and discuss it with them.  Tell them what you think about the student/teacher authority question.  Maybe study for the test for a couple minutes.

When you're done, find a scrap of paper and write the following quote:  "I!!!  HAVE!!!  THE POWER!!!"  Then, have the adult you read the blog with sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow.


Did we also watch this clip?  ...Yes... Yes we did.

Threat List

What are the greatest threats facing the United States today?

We are social studies.  It's everywhere.  The land we live on.  The people we elect to lead us.  The way we use money.  It's what we believe about God or gods, and how we relate to our friends.  It's the culture in the TV shows we enjoy, and the headlines we pick up from... well... wherever we pick them up from.

It makes sense to teach social studies using what's going on in the world.  A respected colleague of  mine has had a lot of success teaching this way.  His students love him.

One of the things he has done in the past is keep a running "QV List."  I've often wanted to try that, but I was never quite sure how to go about it.

So this year, for the first time, I found myself keeping multiple lists with the classes, depending on the topic.  But one list has taken center-stage: The Threat List.

It's a running list of threats facing These United States.  They often have ties (sometime loose ties) to what we're talking about, or will be talking about.  Geography, government, the economy, religion...  Here's the list as it stands today:

In case the images are blocked, it reads:

• North Korea
• ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria)
• Disease (None pressing, as Ebola or Zika were recently)
• Opioid epidemic
• Forest fires (west)
• Hurricanes (major ones)
• Afghanistan
• Terrorism
• International (Outside our country)
• Domestic (Inside our country)
• Non-terroristic "Lone Wolf" attacks
• Crumbling infrastructure
• Russia's misinformation campaign
• Pollution

I wasn't sure what form this list would take.  It seems like we're adding things I hadn't thought of every other week.  I'm noticing differences in the ways we approach different threats.  Different political tones. While we studied the economy, I wondered about the economic toll these threats placed on our country.  When we study government, I'll be sure to bring up the primary purpose of government: keep it's citizens safe, and protect their rights.

We don't bring up the list everyday, but it has brought something new to the classroom.  I'm hoping that it will be a reminder to my students when they're older that America has always faced threats.  That when they grow up and people talk about how much better, and safer the world was when they were kids, they'll be able to recognize that we always faced threats, we always had problems, but we also worked to overcome and solve them.

And they're at the age where they'll start hearing about these things outside of the classroom.  As they get older, parents are sheltering them less and less.  While we can never be fully mentally prepared for the threats we as a nation face, acknowledging that they are there is a step.

Students can earn extra credit by reading and discussing the blog with an adult.  After you've read and discussed it with them, answer the following questions with that adult on a scrap of paper: What do you think about the list?  Should anything be added?  Should anything be removed?  Sign and date the scrap of paper, and have the adult do the same.  Turn it in tomorrow in the extra credit tray.

Government Act-It-Outs (2014 Version)

We really should have filmed these.  So far, they've been excellent.  (We're in 4th hour right now.  Don't let me down, rest of the day...)

As I said yesterday, students were assigned one of the 7 forms of government we study, and they had to create a short skit depicting it.

So far, I was able to correctly identify every single one.  It's rare when that happens - not because I don't know my governments, but because the students don't always portray them very well.

I'll keep this post short again.  If you want extra credit, tell the adult you read this with how your group did.  What was your government?  How did you portray it?  What was your role?

Then, tell them which group (other than your own) did the best.  Tell them why.

Write two sentences based on your discussion on a scrap of paper.  Have the adult sign the paper.

Make sure your name, date, and hour are on it.  Then turn it in tomorrow.

HEY!  It's the weekend!!!  WOOT WOOT!

Back, Baby! (Governments)

The bellwork today asked students to tell us which government would be the scariest government to live under, and then explain why.

We are guessing that they'll all give one of the unlimited governments.  At least, I can't imagine anyone would find a constitutional monarchy scarier than an absolute monarchy.

And I know that Taylor (from Stars Hollow... from The Gilmore Girls) can be pretty abrasive, at times... but I would hardly count him (or the direct democracy of Star's Hollow) as scarier than, say... Islam Karimov...

For the record, I know that Taylor Doose has an elected position in Stars Hollow, but the position - at least as it's portrayed on the show - has no real power.  He's just in the front at the meetings, and the people of the town get to vote.

(...Not that I watched tons of The Gilmore Girls or anything...  Sheesh...)

Mr. Helmuth is slowly moving from governments into ancient civilizations.  And what better way to do that then with Hammurabi?  You know, I was a little bit nervous when Mr. Helmuth said that the following video was pretty graphic, and that if students couldn't hack it, they should go to the hall.  But I shouldn't have doubted him.  It's not THAT graphic.


High production quality.  Some of my students were confused... "Is that the real Hammurabi?" they asked.

We looked at some of the laws the ancient Mesopotamian government created.  It was a good day.

If you want the extra credit for reading/ discussing the blog with an adult, write two sentences from your discussion and have the adult you read it with sign the paper.

Economic Systems

Today we talked about economic systems: traditional, market, command, and mixed.

Traditional economies are based on (wait for it...) traditions that are handed down, and often based on availability and necessity.  (Katniss can only trade what she can find.  If she shots a couple squirrels, she trades a couple squirrels.  If she gets a rabbit and some strawberries, she trades those.  She learned how to hunt and trade from her father, and we can infer that he learned from his father...)

Market economies are based on supply and demand.  Production levels are set.  Stores and markets are created, and prices are determined by supply and demand and competition.  Peeta's dad owns a bakery.  He determine how much to charge for his bread.  If people aren't buying it, the price is probably too high.  If another bakery opens up and starts under-cutting him, he may have to charge less as well.

In a command economy, the government determines what gets produced.  The Capital tells District 12 they must produce coal.  District 11 is agriculture.  District 4, fish.  They don't have a choice.  

And of course a mixed economy is a mix of the different types.  The USA uses a market system, but the government doesn't allow us to make whatever we want.  ...Even if I could make a lot of money selling illegal drugs, they're... you know... illegal.  The government won't let me produce them.  They *ahem* command *ahem* me not to produce them.  That doesn't make the US a command economy.

Most classes talked about the Marche de Fer a little bit.  Here's a picture of it.  I didn't realize it was rebuilt.  I've lost touch with my Haitian roots.

If you want the credit for reading and discussing today's blog post with an adult, without looking back up at the top, tell them the 4 types of economic systems and how they each work.

Then, write down the names of the four systems on a piece of scrap paper.  Have the adult sign it, and turn it in tomorrow.  Make sure your name, date, and hour are written on it.

Hunger Games: Big Ideas

As promised, there's a blog post today.

We've started The Hunger Games!  Woo hoo!  I'm really excited about it, and I'm doubly excited that this year I get to work in tandem with Mr. Ogle, who will be teaching the Language Arts side of things.

Why The Hunger Games?

The content of The Hunger Games ties in with multiple 7th grade social studies standards.  It's a well-written, captivating story about the dangers of unlimited government.  Many of the big concepts we study are expressed in narrative fashion, allowing me to reinforce what we're learning in class.

Today, we talked about 4 of the big ideas that will show up in the book.  I had students write down a definition/explanation (in their own words) for:

• Government
• Economy
• Culture
• Standard of Living

These are hardly the only social studies topics that will show up in the book.  After students wrote down what they thought those things were, I gave them my definitions and explanations.  By page 6, each of these concepts had been brought up in some fashion.  We'll delve into it more, as we read the book.  I can't wait.

For now, here are some pictures of some things we did during the days I missed posting.  (The information on how to get some extra credit points is found below the pictures.)

If you want the extra credit, define/explain at least one of the following terms on a sheet of paper: government, economics, culture, standard of living.  If you were class, try to use my definition/explanation.  If you were absent, give it a good guess.  You may get help from a parent.

When you're done, have the parent or adult you read and discussed the blog with sign the paper.  Make sure your name, date, and hour are on it.  Turn it in in the extra credit tray tomorrow.

The Moment Is Upon Us

This is the moment 57% of America has been waiting for!  I say 57%, because that's the percentage of eligible voters who voted in the last presidential election.  And it's the highest since the 1960s.  The last mid-term election turnout was 38%.  ...Yep...

Why is voter turnout so low?  As a teacher, I'm wondering if we're doing a bad job of teaching civic responsibility to our students in general.  I mean, we all understand responsibility - and I understand that people are busy, they don't care, they want to avoid conflict, they're not registered or didn't research the candidates... but what does that say about our nation?  I think it says we have better things to do than care.  (By the way, that list was compiled from some of the reasons students gave.)

Really, if we want a government of the people, the people have to partake in that government.

We discussed Australia's compulsory voting laws.  I'm not saying that we should force people to vote, or that we should try to force people to care - but there has to be a way to engage all of our citizens.

I asked the students if they thought we should make voting mandatory in the United States.  Overwhelmingly, they said no.  They said it would take away our freedom.  You know, I think I agree with them.  But isn't that the way of all laws?  You give a little freedom to gain the greater freedom?  We can't shout "fire" in a theater, because it might cause a stampede - injuring or killing others - which would take away their freedom.  We've given the government a lot more power under the Patriot Act in order to ensure our freedom and safety from the attacks on others.

We also voted today.  It went really well.  Students registered a couple weeks ago.  Today, if they didn't have their school ID, they were turned away.  I think we're going to find out who won at the end of the day.

Finally, here are a couple videos for you to watch if you want.  One explains the electoral college.  The other one explains... well... it doesn't explain anything.  It's just a song.

(Students, if you want the extra credit, read and discuss the blog with an adult.  When you're done write 3 sentences from the discussion on a piece of paper and have the adult sign the paper.  Turn it in tomorrow.)




And the other one:

Summer Government: What I Taught

My section of summer government dealt with primary sources: reading them and interpreting them.

This is the same the same thing I did last year, but with some tweaks.

Last year we FLEW.  I wanted to hit as many of "the greats" as possible: The Magna Carta, The Declaration of Independence, The Constitution, Federalist 10, Federalist 58, Bill of Rights, Gettysburg Address...

I also wanted to show that there was so much more out there: truly riveting reads - for instance, a letter from General Pickett to La Salle Corbell, where Pickett is coming to grips with the thousands of death's he is responsible for:

"Even now I can hear them cheering as I gave the order, “Forward”!  I can feel their faith and trust in me and their love for our cause.  I can feel the thrill of their joyous voices as they called out all along the line, “We’ll follow you, Marse George.  We’ll follow you – we’ll follow you.”  Oh, how faithfully they kept their word – following me on – on – to their deaths, and I, believing in the promised support, led them on – on – on – Oh, God!"

The class went well, and I was glad to be able to introduce the students to so much.

I gave a survey at the end, though and a respectable number said they wished they could have spent more time focusing on "the greats," as we moved so quickly over them, some students still weren't sure what was in them.

So THIS year, that's where we stayed.

We started by reading 1 Sam. 8 and moved to the Magna Carta.

In 1 Sam. 8, the Israelites are warned about what will happen when they get a king.  The king will take their children, their crops, their cattle, their donkeys...  It was truly a "hide your wife, hide your kids" moment.  ...Because the king was coming for everybody.

So, we had a king with unlimited power.  For our next reading, we moved to the Magna Carta - which limited the King's power.  Good news of the day?  The Magna Carta's 800th Birthday came the week after we read it.

Spoiler alert: We had a party.

800* Donuts.  Happy Birthday, Magna Carta!!!

Students Brought in Cake and Other Dishes

A Good Time Had By Almost All

And by party, I mean we had snacks before the day started.  Still: Success.

After the Magna Carta, we read The Declaration of Independence.

For those of you following along, here's the narrative structure:

1. The King will be (and was) bad.
2. Limit the power of the king.
3. Get rid of the king entirely.

We then went back and read Patrick Henry's famous, "Liberty or Death" speech (AKA "The War Inevitable.")  It's true this is a little out of order now, but what can you do?  It is a fine piece of speechifying.  Perhaps the finest.  (I love that in the opening paragraph, Henry doesn't vilify those who disagree with him.)

We skipped the Articles of Confederation, and moved on to the Constitution.  And here, we buckled down.  I should add that this year, I tried out Google Classrooms.  For this assignment, students commented on/ summed up every clause of every section of each of the articles of the Constitution.  All online.  They turned in work that looked something like this:

Constitution Commentary: Student #1**

I read through all of them.  They averaged about 9 pages.  There were 120? 130? of them.  #GoMe.

When they were finished, I passed them back with my comments, and recommendations.  It looked something like this:

Constitution Commentary: Student #2***

Before students received credit, they went through and addressed all the comments I made.  ...And I made comments, believe you me.

We spent a goodly amount of time on the Constitution.  ...I mean... It is the basis of our government.

After that, we moved on to The Gettysburg Address and read some of the writings of William Lloyd Garrison.  There was a controversy over the Confederate Flag, (please, no history lessons about the Battle Flag, etc...  We all know the flag I'm talking about, right?) so that took up a little time as well, as we looked at the reasons Mississippi gave for secession, and the reasons South Carolina gave for secession.

And we did a math problem: Subtract four score and seven from 1863.

My section didn't cover the judicial branch*+, but as much of the argument in Roe v. Wade hinges on when life starts, the Civil War/ Declarations of Secession/ Gettysburg Address hinges on when our nation was conceived or born - when life started.

(Take this line for instance: "...a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal..."  Lincoln's Gettysburg Address goes back Four Score and Seven Years... to the Declaration of Independence - not just to the Constitution.

Yet, we celebrate our first president as George Washington - who became president in 1789 - and not John Hanson, who was president in 1781.  ...But we recognize the birth of the nation as July 4th, 1776, even though the inappropriately named "War of 1812" was really The Revolutionary War Part II.)

At any rate, the next to the last full day, we had a guest speaker - State Representative Timothy Wesco - come in and address the class.  He spoke about the legislative process, the difference between Indiana's Constitution and the U.S. Constitution, as well as other topics the students grilled him on.  It went really well, and was very informative.

The last full day we debriefed about the visit, and studied for the final.

...And that was it.

This was as much for me as it was for you.  I hope you found it helpful.

*If there were only 260 donuts, the world will never know, right?  

**I hope you read that as "Student Hashtag 1."

***Similarly, I hope you read that as Student Hashtag 2.
*+It was covered though, don't you worry.  Every day students had 4 one hour sections.  My section lasted an hour.  Another teacher focused on the Judicial Branch.